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Libya: One year later, the city of Derna is being rebuilt
Libya: One year later, the city of Derna is being rebuilt
(franceinfo)
One year ago today, deadly floods devastated the city of Derna, Libya. A sad anniversary for survivors who have not forgotten. Since then, the city has been healing its wounds and slowly rebuilding.
A year later, one resident is still haunted by the tragedy he experienced when his neighborhood was devastated by floods. “Everything happened very quickly, the waves took everything away”explains the survivor. On the night of September 10-11, 2023, Derna, Libya, was submerged by water. Torrential rains had caused two dams upstream of the coastal city to burst. Once the water had receded, Derna looked like a city cut in two. The damage was very impressive: buildings and houses washed away, 100,000 people lived here.
The place is now sacred: the cemetery of the victims of the floods of Derna. Officially, 4,000 people lost their lives that day. For those who carried out the burials, the number of victims is probably much higher. “It took a lot of effort from us”says a volunteer with the Libyan Red Crescent. A year later, Derna is still healing its wounds. 40,000 people, or nearly one in two residents, left the city after the disaster. Most have not returned.